A Matter of Trust
by Bitter November
Summary: Because there comes a time in each relationship where you have to let go and trust blindly. It's time for Maka to make a leap of faith, and start believing not only in Soul, but herself as well.
1. Chapter 1

This is dedicated to GlitterGoat and Poisoned Scarlett. Happy Birthday you two! It's also for any of the August people who give a damn, but mainly them. Hope everyone (reviews) enjoys!  
Oh, and I own nothing, yada yada yada.

TRUST

Trust; n. 1. Firm reliance on the integrity, ability, strength, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence. 2. Confident expectation of something; hope.

Trust. A small word, with a large meaning. It seemed like such a simple thing, yet no relationship could ever really be complete without it. Delicate yet strong it had to be earned before given, and, once bestowed, it could become unshakeable. But, when broken, it was nearly impossible to regain...a fact that Maka Albarn knew far too well, having watched her parent's marriage shatter like icicles on a sidewalk due to her father's infidelity.

She was a sensitive girl and seeing the pain her mother had gone through, made her purpose in her heart to never let herself be put in that position. Carefully, methodically, she had raised carefully constructed walls around her heart, guarding it like a miser would his fortune. So when she chose, much to her own surprise, a male weapon, she didn't expect there to be any problem. Maka had her goal of creating a better Deathscythe than her father, and she was focused on that. Then, little by little, as she got to know him, friendship blossomed. In spite of their opposite personalities, there was a mutual respect that grew into genuine affection. Three battles played a key role in this; the fight with Blair, where Soul showed her that maybe, just maybe not all men were cheaters. Second, the fight with Crona, and how he had almost died for her. And last, during the sloth chapter in the book of Eibon. She had almost let her doubts consume her, but Soul had stayed with her, wouldn't let her give up.

XXXXX

It was all these things: his commitment, his belief in her even when he knew all of her shortcomings, that slowly, like the root of a plant in a buildings foundation, cracked the walls she had so painstakingly erected. It was so gradual in fact, that it slammed into her one day with the force of one of Kilik's punches, that the emotion that she had been thinking was a deep, solid friendship...wasn't. It had been one of those times when she had been forced out of the apartment to go to the basketball court, though this time she had been able to stay on the sidelines with a book, curled up in a pair of soft pink jogging shorts and matching oversized T-shirt. She had glanced up at the sound of loud laughter from the court, and her eyes had landed on Soul. He was standing in a shaft of sunlight, his head thrown back as he laughed at Kid, the blue T-shirt he wore clinging to muscles she hadn't noticed before but was now painfully aware of. The sun glinted off of his white hair, giving it the illusion of shimmering with a multitude of colors. Maka had blushed, feeling foolish because this was Soul, the guy who ate raw fish and left his dirty socks on the coffee table and was his ass always that illegally delicious?

She tried to brush these thoughts away as just a surge of random hormones, when he looked over and caught her stare, and something in the expression of his glowing red eyes softened. He had strolled over to slump down on the bench next to her, an arm thrown casually behind Maka's shoulders as he talked about something she couldn't quite focus on because her heart had suddenly swollen three sizes and crawled up into her throat. She was about to shift away, unusually nervous about his close proximity, when he had smiled at her, sharp teeth flashing, and she felt her lips turn up in return. Her discomfort melted, and she knew, for the first time, that she loved this odd mix of dedicated slacker that was Soul Eater Evans.

She loved him, but she wasn't willing to risk their friendship. Besides, she wasn't even his type, and no matter how gently he let her down, (for she knew that even though he teased her he would never hurt her on purpose) rejection was rejection, and she didn't want to see the pity in his eyes when he turned her away. So she took these feelings and shoved them in the back of the closet of her mind, like a thirteen year old with his first porn mag. Something to be hidden and never spoken of, only taken out to be looked at under the cover of darkness. And that's how she thought it would always be, with her smothering her unrequited love for him forever. That intention was tossed into the blender and set on pulverize when, out of the blue, he had asked her to be his girlfriend.

XXXXX

There had been no romantic dinner with candles, no roses or boxes of chocolates. No indications that his mind was headed in that direction at all. Which was just as well, since she probably would have fled like Black*Star from a science fair. It had been a regular Tuesday night, supper and homework (even Soul's) finished, sprawled on the couch with popcorn watching NCIS. Soul was leaning into the corner of the saggy blue couch, dressed for bed in a pair of black and red plaid boxers and black muscle tank. Maka was up against his chest, legs curled up on her other side so she could balance the bowl between their thighs. Soul munched a handful of popcorn as he watched one of the characters on the screen walk up behind another and smack him on the back of the head.

"Hey look, it's your role model." he drawled lazily.

She jammed a sharp elbow between his ribs, causing him to huff out a strained breath.

"So I'm the responsible kickass leader? That's fine with me, although that makes you Tony."

He repositioned her arm, rubbing his side slightly.

"Nothin' wrong with Tony. He gets the cool lines, and the ladies go for him."

"Yeah, Soul. And look at the way all his relationships have turned out. Is that really what you want out of life?"

"Ha! Gibbs has been married like, four times! That what you're aimin' for?"

She threw a few pieces of popcorn at him, glaring at his smirk as he caught them in his mouth.

"Fine," she grumbled. "They both suck in the relationship area."

"I think we could do better. If, you know, you'd like to give it a shot."

Maka nearly shot out a wad of half masticated popcorn.

"What? Are you joking?" she sat up, drawing her knees under her, facing him.

He didn't answer right a way, but set the bowl on the coffee table before replying.

"Not kiddin'. I'm...in love with you, ya know? And you don't seem to hate me too much, so I thought we could give the whole dating thing a shot. If you wanted to, I mean. I've been thinkin' about it for a while, and well, I...yeah. So are you interested, or did I just make a complete idiot out of myself?"

Maka wished she hadn't eaten that popcorn, because now she felt like all the moisture had been sucked out of her body. Wait, no. That was a lie. It had all gone to her palms, which she wiped discretely on the hem of the blue cotton sleep shorts that were riding high on her thighs. Her body was pretty much frozen, but her mind was galloping along at a furious pace in search of an answer. In all of the scenarios she had ever come up with, he had never, ever reciprocated her feelings. She tried to process this rationally, but all she could think about was that here was her chance, she could finally relax and let go, releasing all of her pent up feelings for Soul. No more hiding how happy she was whenever they were together. No more pretending that it didn't affect her when he would walk around shirtless, or, dear death, in nothing but a damp towel that molded to his body in ways that made her wish she was a strip of terry cloth.

She couldn't figure out why, out of all the girls he had falling all over themselves to get him, that he would choose her, but she knew that if she didn't grab this opportunity, then he would eventually go out with someone else. Leaving her to grit her teeth in a fake smile, while she had to pretend to be happy as she watched him be with some other girl the way she wanted him to be with her...an icy hand squeezed her heart at that thought. She wanted this so damn much! But...what if it didn't work out? Would they still be able to be partners? Friends? So many things could go wrong. He could get tired of her nerdy, bookish ways; want someone more cool and exciting. If that happened, he might even-

"Maka."

She looked up at his tone of voice. It wasn't as harsh as usual; in fact it was almost gentle. He was actually looking at her now, the light from the T.V. reflecting in his eyes, making them glow like the taillights of a car in the dark room.

"I really wanna try to make this work, Maka. And I know it might not be easy, and that you've got some relationship issues. But I just want you to know, I won't be like your dad. I know I can be a dumbass, but I'm not a bastard. So if I promise not to cheat, would you at least think about it?"

The world froze for Maka for a second, his words hitting her hard. Soul was offering her what she had been longing for several years now. Was she going to let her father ruin this for her? No. No, she was not! She was going to throw her caution to the wind, because she knew that the reward was going to be worth the risk.

"You know, Black*Star's going to give you a hard time for going out with such a nerd." she joked. "Are you sure I'm worth the trouble?"

As she watched the tension leave his muscles, his jaw relaxing as his mouth stretched into a grin, she knew she had made the right decision.

"Heh. You've always been trouble. But you've always been worth it; don't see why that'd change now. 'Sides, 'Star's been naggin me to ask you out forever."

Maka snuggled back into her previous position at his side.

"Huh. For once, you should've listened to him. Maybe I'll give him a free pass the next time he needs a Maka-Chop."

Soul raised an eyebrow as he put his arm around his new girlfriend, settling in to finish the episode they were watching.

"Really?"

Maka thought a minute, smirking.

"Nah."

XXXXX

Much to Maka's relief, things between them didn't really change. Soul was a little more publicly affectionate, holding hands when they walked instead of shoving his fists in his pockets. He hadn't tried to get very physical; an occasional kiss on the cheek, and that was about it, except for two short kisses on the lips. Actual dates were difficult. What could they possibly do, since they were always together anyway? Going to the park? Done it. Go out for dinner? On a weekly basis, at least. A romantic getaway for two? If your idea of said getaway consists of traveling to exotic countries, hunting disgusting kishin, and ending up with blood and other bodily matter covering your bodies, then sure.

Maka honestly hadn't thought that much about it, but one day about a month after they had begun dating, Soul brought it up. They had just finished dinner, and Maka was standing at the sink washing the dishes, while Soul stood next to her drying them and putting them away. His brows were furrowed in thought, his fingers restlessly tapping the counter while he waited for the next plate. He darted a look out of the corner of his eye to Maka, deciding to break the companionable silence with something that had been on his mind.

"Hey, Maka? Does it bother you that we've never gone out on a real date? Something that we don't usually do anyway? And before you say anything, that travesty of a double date with Black*Star and Tsubaki doesn't count."

They both silently contemplated that evening, which consisted of a horny Black*Star, a willing to please Tsubaki, and a popcorn box with a hole cut in the bottom. Toss in the group of nuns sitting behind them...

"At least we weren't banned from that theater along with them. I thought the manager was really very understanding when we explained that we had no idea who the two perverts were."

"Hn. Surreptitious Ninja Handjob my ass. Points to Tsubaki for trying to pass the mess off as butter though."

Maka snorted in agreement, thoughtfully wiping out a bowl.

"I guess you're right that that wouldn't really count as a date. But I can't say that it bothers me. I mean, we're together most of the time, and I'm happy with that. We have fun without labeling it as a date, you know? Just being with you makes me happy; you don't need to go out of your way to do anything different." she blushed, realizing how corny that sounded. "I'm not saying that I never want you to anything special, I just don't want you to feel like it's something you have to do to keep me happy."

"You sure? You're going awfully easy on me. Shouldn't you take advantage? Normally you say I'm a slacker, but I'm willing to make the effort here." he said playfully.

"I'm fine with how things are going. I've never been big on showy gestures, and it's not really your thing either. Like I said, I'm happy whatever we do, as long as we do it together."

He watched as she scrubbed furiously at the skillet, her cheeks flushed a rosy pink with embarrassment. She really was too easy on him, but he wanted to do something to show that their relationship had moved to romantic levels. He pushed those thoughts away to mull over later, sneakily twisting up the damp dish towel.

"Eek!"

Maka squealed, leaping about a foot into the air and dropping the pan into the soapy water. She spun to face Soul, who was grinning mischievously after having popped her backside using the towel as a wet whip.

"I take that back! I want to go out to dinner at that ritzy restaurant that just opened! I want a dozen roses every day! But most of all I want a fucking medal for putting up with with your devious ass!" she yelled, trying not to laugh.

He tossed the towel at her.

"Devious? I think you meant to say, delicious."

"Idiot. Go take a shower; I want to have a bath when I'm done here, and I don't want want to be rushed."

Soul pushed himself away from the counter, leaving the room.

"Fine. And just to prove what a wonderful boyfriend I am, I'll even try to leave you some hot water."

"Good. And just to prove what a wonderful girlfriend I am, I won't threaten you with a Maka-Chop if you don't."

XXXXX

And she thought that would be the end of it, but three days later, Soul surprised her. Wandering into the kitchen for a late breakfast, she was shocked to find Soul up and dressed, packing what looked to be lunch in a small cooler. She glanced at the clock. 10:30. The world must be ending, because Soul never, EVER got up before noon on a Saturday. She stared hard at the boy at the counter, who was wearing black cargo shorts and a yellow T-shirt promoting a band she vaguely recognized. It looked like Soul. She snuck up behind him, reaching out a finger to poke him in the ribs. It felt like him.

"Ow! What the fuck, Maka?"

It sounded like him.

"Just checking to make sure that was really you. What are you doing up so early?"

"Don't know how you can tell it's me by poking holes in my sides, but whatever works for you. Go get changed; we're goin' out today. Wear something comfortable."

"What? Where are we going? No one said we were doing anything today." she said, confused.

Soul rolled his eyes.

"That's because no one else is comin', it's just the two of us. You. Me. On a date."

"A date?"

"Yes. A date. It's where two people, usually in a relationship, go out and do something fun together. I'm sure you've heard of them."

"I know what a date is, Soul! I was just surprised. Where are we going?"

He shut the lid of the cooler with a snap.

"It's a surprise. Hurry up; I'm walkin' out the door in about ten minutes."

"Ten...Arrgh! Damn it Soul, give a girl a little more warning!"

He watched her dash from the room, still muttering under her breath. He took the cooler and set it by the door, beginning to feel nervous. He had wracked his brains to find something they could do that he thought Maka would be comfortable with, and this was all he could come up with. Soul wasn't used to doing things like this; he could only hope that his first effort at a solo date didn't totally bomb. Six minutes later, Maka came out of her room, dressed in a pair of faded denim cutoffs and a bright green halter top that fully covered her breasts but showed a tantalizing strip of skin whenever she moved.

"I'm ready, and with four minutes to spare! Now, where are we going?"

He picked up the cooler, motioning with his head for her to get the door.

"Told you, it's a surprise. You'll see when we get there."

Maka bit her tongue. When Soul decided to be stubborn, there was no point in trying to pry anything out of him. She followed him out to the bike, waiting for him to secure the ice chest, before getting on behind him. She was surprised when they headed out of town, going east in the direction of the river. There was nothing out this way, at least, not that she knew of. She held her questions for the twenty minute drive, deciding to enjoy the ride. It was a nice day, warm without being too hot, the sun heating her skin pleasantly. As they neared their destination, she could smell the water, the trees that grew in the area swaying in the breeze. Soul parked in the shade, waiting for her to dismount before him. Once she was off, he set about unloading, first the chest, and then a blanket from the storage bag. He tossed her the blanket and pulled out a small paper bag. Tucking it under one arm, he hefted the cooler and set off.

"It's over this way. I know this is probably corny as hell, but bear with me a few more minutes."

Maka was starting to get frustrated.

"How am I supposed to know if it's corny? I don't even know what we're doing! You could've brought me out here to hack up my body to bits, for all I know!"

"Glad to see you have such faith in me, honey." he said sarcastically, repressing a grin when she stumbled at the endearment. "Besides, if I'd brought you out here for that, we'd have a tarp instead of a blanket."

"Thanks darling," she matched his tone, taking satisfaction when it was his feet that got tangled. "I'll remember to check for that next time we go out."

He turned right at a small outcropping of rocks, bringing their banter to a halt. The landscape was unusual for this part of Nevada, but Maka chalked it up to being so close to the river. Instead of dirt or sand, there was a large expanse of grass, and about six trees were clustered together, forming a shady area.

"This is it. I know it's not much, but at least it's out of the way enough that we don't have to worry about anyone screwin' things up."

He set the chest down and took the blanket from her, surreptitiously gauging her reaction.

"It's nice out here! How did you find it?"

He relaxed a bit, thinking that maybe this wasn't a stupid choice after all.

"I found it during one of your girls' day out deals. Got bored and decided to drive around, and here it was."

Soul had spread the orange and black striped blanket out under the largest tree, then sat down on it to begin unloading the food. He pulled out a couple of roast beef sandwiches, followed by a container of hummus and a baggie of mixed vegetables. For dessert, he had brought a few of the chocolate cupcakes Maka had made the night before. He offered her a drink as she peeled the cling wrap from her sandwich.

"Orange or root beer?"

"Orange."

She took the bottle he passed her, the glass slick and wet from the ice.

"This is good, although it's a little early for lunch, isn't it?" she asked.

He paused before biting down on a hummus covered carrot stick.

"You didn't get a chance at breakfast, and I'm always up for a meal. Sorry it isn't anything fancier, but I decided to go with stuff that even I couldn't ruin."

Maka snickered.

"What? Didn't want a repeat of the infamous mashed potato incident?"

"Shaddup. You promised never to bring that up again."

They continued to bicker halfheartedly throughout the rest of the meal, when Maka thought of something as Soul was polishing off the last cupcake.

"So are we headed back now, or can we stay here a little longer?" she asked, not quite ready to go home yet.

"I'd planned on stayin' our at least another two hours", he answered, stretching out on his back at her side, "I'm gonna go ahead and take a nap now. Woke up way too early today."

Maka gazed at him in disbelief.

"You brought me all the way out here just so you could go to sleep? What am I supposed to do?"

He handed her the bag he had been carrying before, slyly repositioning himself to lie with his head in her lap.

"I could stay awake, but I figured you'd be too busy with this to pay any attention to me."

She took the offered bag, feeling a hard rectangular shape within. She unrolled the top, peering at the contents. It looked like a...book? She pulled it out, and when she saw the cover, she squealed with delight. It was the next book in the series she had been reading. She had been meaning to buy it, but hadn't gotten around to it yet.

"Soul! This is so awesome! I've been dying to get my hands on this since the last one ended in a cliffhanger."

"Heh. Thought you'd enjoy it. Just try to keep your fangirly shrieks to a dull roar while I get some sleep."

Soul had barely gotten the words out before she had broken the spine and was engrossed in the first lines of the story. He smiled fondly up at her, watching the way her eyes shone as they darted from side to side as she read. She was so cute when she was concentrating. He didn't really need a nap; he was content to just watch her like this for the rest of the afternoon. But the sun was warm and his stomach was full, and slowly, his eyes began to droop with drowsiness. Just before he drifted of completely, he felt her hand slide across his chest to tangle with his.

XXXXX

He woke what felt like moments later, but judging by the position of the sun, must have been a couple of hours. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he glanced up at Maka. She had her head leaned back against the trunk of the tree, her eyes closed and chest rising and falling gently. Her left hand was still joined with his, and her right had discarded the book to twine through his hair. Gently extricating himself, he sat up, trying not to wake her. But as he shifted around to adjust himself in a sitting position beside her, her eyes slid open and she smiled at him sleepily.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked, giving a small yawn.

"I should be asking you that. Was the book that boring?"

"The book was great! It was so good, I was able to finish it in a little over an hour."

He blinked at her.

"Then why didn't you wake me up? I didn't mean for you to sit here with nothin' to do while I slept."

"I thought about it," she admitted sheepishly. "But you looked so cute, and before I could make up my mind, I fell asleep too."

"Sorry it was such a lousy date. God, I take you out and we both end up asleep! Guess I fail big time."

"Hey, it was not a lousy date! I had a really good time, and I wouldn't mind coming back again. And you do not fail. I've never known you to fail at anything."

He looked up hopefully.

"Really?"

Her voice took on a teasing tone.

"Well, except for that time with the mashed potatoes. And when we redid the living room and you managed to get that strip of wallpaper on everything but the wall. Oh, and remember whe-"

"I get it, I get it! You never know when to keep your mouth shut, do you?" he groused.

The tip of her tongue slid across her lips, Soul's eyes following the gesture.

"Sure I do. I keep it shut so I can do this."

Maka leaned forward, her lips pressing against his. He was momentarily frozen by her unusual daring, but his shock melted as he joined in with enthusiasm. Her arms came up to wrap around his neck, and Soul took the chance to step up the kiss, darting his tongue between her lips to run over her teeth. Her tongue joined his, skimming along it teasingly before pulling a way. He became more aggressive, one hand resting on her waist for balance, his thumb rubbing the exposed skin. Lost in the moment, he was enjoying himself thoroughly when she let out a small moan in the back of her throat. It was like the sound traveled on an invisible wire straight to his cock; quickly, he broke the liplock.

Maka sat back, slightly dazed and confused as Soul crawled across the blanket away from her. Had she done something wrong?

"Soul? Is something wrong?" she asked nervously, her fingers twisting a loose thread in the blanket while he dug in the cooler, contemplating ways to shove his junk in the ice without her noticing. Soul kept his back to her until he felt his raging boner settle down. He turned, holding up a bottle of pop.

"Was gettin' a little hot. Needed somethin' to cool down. You want some?"

Maka stared at him, trying to figure out if he was hiding anything, but his eyes gave nothing away. She shrugged it off, pushing her uneasiness to the back of her mind.

"I'm good. We should probably be heading back soon anyways."

"You're right. I still got half of that assignment I need to finish tonight. I'll grab the cooler if you can get the blanket."

Soul loaded the remains of their meal while she folded up the blanket. Finished, they headed back to the bike, each lost in their own thoughts.

XXXXX

The sound of slamming lockers echoed up and down the halls as students stored their books to head for lunch. Maka was thinking about that first date, which had also been their last. That had been two months ago, and she had noticed a change in Soul that began that day. His attitude was the same, but he was more physically...distant? Detached? She wasn't really sure how to describe it. They were still together, he still called her his girlfriend and held her hand. But he never seemed to want to kiss her anymore.

She had waited for him to try, then, when it seemed as if he wasn't going to, she summoned up the courage to initiate it herself. Both times, he had found ways to avoid her. Doubts began to creep into the cracks of her mind; had she done something wrong that day? Was she that bad of a kisser? She knew she wasn't experienced like other girls, or as attractive... Could that be it? Was Soul tired of her already, waiting to find the right time to break it off? She shook her head, blinking back the tears that were forming behind her eyes. These thoughts weren't getting her anywhere; she would ignore them until he gave her a good reason not to. She straitened her spine, and headed to the cafeteria to join her friends.

Soul was blissfully unaware of his girlfriend's inner turmoil. He stretched lazily, waking up from his class-long nap to rub his eyes. It looked like he had overslept today, since the room was empty. That was weird. Maka always woke him up when she was ready to leave. He stretched his arms over his head, dislodging a scrap of paper that had been tucked under his elbow. Catching it before it could flutter to the floor; he flipped it over to read. It was a letter from Maka, asking him to meet her in...the girls shower room?! A wicked smile stretched across his face. He had been holding back after that day he had taken her out. Afraid of going too fast and scaring her off, Soul had slowed things down, even though it was damn hard. As was he, most of the time. Maybe it was ok to relax a bit; Maka must have thought so too if she was asking him to meet her in private like this. If she was up for a little fooling around, he wasn't going to stop her this time. Standing, he shoved the note into his pocket, and eagerly headed for the door, never noticing that in his haste, the scrap of paper sliding out to float to the ground.

XXXXX

Soul made his way down the mostly deserted halls, attempting to keep the, I'm-going-to-have-an-illicit-makeout-session-with-my-girlfriend look off his face. Casually, he looked in both directions before darting into the room, hoping that no one besides Maka was there. He slunk further in, looking for his meister. The floors were still damp from the showers that had been taken after morning gym class, and his shoes squeaked loudly on the pale blue tile. He stopped. Something was off. Shouldn't she have been here by now? As he turned to leave, some of the lights went out, making the room go dim. Startled, he bumped into someone. His foot hit a slick patch, and he fell backwards, a blond he vaguely recognized from one of his classes hanging on to him. Her lips were on his as they crashed to the ground, her hands on his shoulders as she pressed into him. Soul's hands shot up to push her away as the lights flicked on. Looking up, he found himself staring into the wide green eyes of his partner. He watched in what felt like slow motion as large tears welled up, threatening to spill over her lids. Quickly, he shoved the girl off of him.

"Maka! This isn't wh-" he didn't get to finish, as with a strangled sob, Maka turned to dash from the room. He scrambled to his feet to chase after her, but was stopped by a hand gripping his leg. He stared down into hazel eyes.

"You don't have to go after her, you know. She doesn't really suit you. Didn't you see the way she totally overreacted to that little kiss? It's not like I had planned on falling on you! Wouldn't you rather have someone who's more your type?"

He shook her off, glaring.

"My type of girl doesn't set up a guy she knows is going out with someone else!" he growled, running out the door, in time to see the end of a pigtail fly around the corner at the far end of the hall. To his left stood Soul's friends, staring in slack jawed silence at the scene before them.

"You guys saw that? It wasn't what it looked like, I swear!"

Tsubaki snapped out of it first.

"We know that, Soul-kun. We just followed Maka-chan when she came to look for you, and someone said they thought they saw you go in here. And then we came in and...Soul, you'd better hurry and go after her!"

She didn't have to tell him twice, he was already halfway down the hall, their footsteps signaling he was being followed. He didn't care. He was too busy remembering the look of pain and betrayal on her face. This could ruin everything. That girl better be going into the witness protection program, because if he lost Maka over this, there would be hell to pay.

XXXXX

Maka stood behind the school building, body quivering with pent up emotion. Her heart beat loudly in her chest as her lunch threatened to make an encore appearance. She tried to take deep, cleansing breaths to steady her nerves, but it wasn't working. All she could think about was the scene in the girls shower room; Soul lying on the floor, with some floozy fan-girl on top of him, pressing her lips to his. Soul and another girl. Another girl and Soul. Soul, who was supposed to be her boyfriend. Soul, who had promised her he would never cheat, never break her heart like her father had her mother's. She had seen it, but she still couldn't believe it. How could he do this to her?

"Maka!"

She looked over her shoulder to find Soul pounding across the lawn towards her, their friends following close on his heels. She looked at his face closely. Could she read the signs of betrayal on his face? No. He looked panicked and fearful, his usual mask of cool indifference cracking right down the middle, showing the vulnerability that lurked beneath. He stopped a few feet away from her, studying her reaction. Their friends stayed farther away, hovering indecisively, concerned expressions on their faces.

"Maka, I can explain, that wasn't what it looked like!"

"Then what was it?"

"I slipped on something and fell, and the next thing I knew, she was on top of me. You came in when I was pushing her off!"

"Really, Soul? What were you even doing in the girls shower room? Don't even think about saying you wandered in there by mistake; how stupid do you think I am?" she bit out.

"I admit I went in there on purpose, but that's because I got a note that I thought was from you, saying you wanted to meet me in there. I swear; you have to believe me!"

"That's convenient. A nice, smooth explanation. You wouldn't happen to have this note, by any chance, would you?"

Soul patted his pockets frantically, coming up empty. He looked into her hardened eyes, searching to find any trace that she believed him, and finding none.

"Maka, I wouldn't do that to you. Don't you know that by now? Don't you know you can trust me?"

_Papa loves you and Mama the most._

He was struck by an idea.

"Look, resonate with me! I can't lie to you that way, you'd know it for sure!" he reached out a hand, the hope in his eyes dying as she took a step back.

"Maka? Why won't you...please, I need you to believe me!"

Soul looked so broken, so at a loss. His heart was in his eyes, and he was willing to bare his soul to prove his loyalty to her. She inhaled deeply, and made her decision.

"No."

He looked like she had just taken a knife and sliced open his scar. His hand dropped slowly, and his eyes developed a suspiciously wet sheen. Maka heard her friends gasp, and Black*Star looked like he was going to come over there and rip her a new one if it hadn't been for Tsubaki holding him back. She winced, realizing she must sound like a heartless bitch. She stepped closer to Soul, bringing her hand up to press over his scar, fingers curling into the material of his shirt. Not being able to meet his eyes, she kept her gaze firmly on her hand.

"I'm not going to resonate with you, because it would be wrong. When you first asked me out, you told me I could trust you, and I said that I knew that. But now, something comes along to test that, and I react like this. I act like you're my father, when you've never given me any reason to doubt you. Yeah, it would be easy to confirm it with resonance, but that would be like saying that I didn't believe you, that I'll only trust you as long as I can prove it. That's not how I want our relationship to be. So..."

She looked him straight in the eye, so he could see how serious she was.

"I'm going to choose to fully believe in you. Because you don't deserve anything less." The hand she had on his chest moved up to caress his cheek, and he leaned into it, his expression one of utmost relief.

"I trust you, Soul." she said softly, but with conviction.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Black*Star beam at her and shoot her a thumbs up, while Kid gave her a small nod. The girls smiled their approval, and they all turned to head back into the building, discreetly leaving the couple alone.

She took his hand, threading their fingers together, smiling up at him.

"Let's go home."

XXXXX

Soul drove home with mixed emotions. On one hand, he was elated that things had worked out. For a few heart-stopping moments, he had thought everything had come crashing down, that she'd dump him for sure. Now, not only had she believed him, but it was her idea to cut classes for the rest of the day. Everything should be kittens and rainbows, except for one thing. When his eyes had met hers while Soul was in that compromising position, there had been hurt and betrayal. There hadn't been shock. It was if she had expected something like it, and that hurt him. He'd never given her reason to doubt him, had he? They needed to talk about this. He had a feeling that he was missing something...

Maka felt Soul's eyes on the back of her head the whole way from the parking lot into the apartment. He hadn't said anything, but she could feel the tenseness radiating from him. She waited as he clicked the door shut, kicking off his shoes to leave them in a heap instead of neatly lining them by the wall as she had hers. Instead of nagging as she usually would, she decided to find out what the matter was.  
She placed a hand on his arm, stilling him from removing his jacket and loosening his tie.

"Is something wrong? I thought you'd be happy to be able to skip out without having to watch your back for the next incoming chop." she tried to be lighthearted, but he didn't even crack a smile.

"Maka, we need to talk about today." he noticed her tense up, but pushed forward with what he had to say. "I noticed today when you found me like that...you didn't seem surprised. Why is that? I thought we were doin' ok, you know? But you've got me wonderin'; is that how you see me? Some guy that'll cheat on you with whoever is available? I thought you knew me better than that!"

As he talked, he began to pace, voice raising with frustration, and a bit of hurt. He flung his jacket and tie onto the back of the couch, waiting for her to say something, anything.

"I thought it was me!" she burst out, hands fisting the hem of her skirt.

"...Huh? What do you mean?" Soul was lost.

"I thought there was something wrong with me! When we first started dating, I thought it would be alright, but then you changed all of a sudden. I mean, you were never really big with the whole 'affection' thing, not that I could blame you; I mean, I know I'm not really all that attractive, and as for sexy, someone else obviously got my share, along with my boobs."

Souls mouth flopped open in disbelief, words struggling to make their way out to refute her claims, but she bulldozed ahead.

"In fact, if I didn't know you better, I would have thought you were using me as practice before you started dating someone for real. You're not the easiest person to read, and sometimes you give the impression that you really don't care..."

"Maka, I would never-"

"Oh! I know you wouldn't! It's just that after you took me on that one date, you started to pull back even more, and it was like," she took a deep, shuddering breath…

Soul gave up trying to interrupt, too morbidly curious to see where this train wreck of his ineptitude as a boyfriend was going to wind up.

…"It was like I wasn't even good enough for you to use." she finished in a tiny voice. "If you don't want me that way, I understand. I just wish you would've made it clear before I made a fool out of mys-"

It was her turn to be cut off, this time by Soul's bitter, slightly hysterical laughter.

"What's so funny?" she asked, hurt that he was taking her fears so lightly.

He settled down, coming to stand directly in front of her.

"Funny is you thinking that you're not attractive or sexy." he brought his face mere inches from hers to growl, "Fucking hilarious is thinking I don't want you."

Maka gasped at his words, heat building in her cheeks from his closeness.

"But...you..." she trailed off uselessly.

"Think about it. Unless I've caught Kid's crazy, why do you think I sometimes take three showers a day? And only use the conditioner?" he waited while her mind processed this, her eyes widening as the implication of his words sank in.

"You mean...you were...over me?!" she squeaked.

Soul rested his forehead on hers, blushing faintly at his revelation.

"Of course over you. You always get me worked up like that. I thought you knew."

Maka brought her hands to his shoulders.

"Then why did you stop kissing me that day? I thought it was because I sucked."

He pulled away, eyes flashing before he turned his head away, his blush darkening.

"I stopped because I didn't think you would want our first time to be outside on a blanket. And that's how it was gonna happen, if I hadn't stopped. You were so damn hot; all I could think about was how good it would feel to have you then and there. But I didn't wanna move too fast for you; I wanted our first time to be special...so I tried holdin' back, and I guess I took it too far. I really must be the world's suckiest boyfriend ever if you can't see how crazy I am about you."

Maka pulled him close, burying her face in his neck.

"No! It was just me being stupid. I never thought you could think of me that way, and add that to the whole thing with my dad, and I just sort of made this big deal out of nothing. I'm sorry, Soul. It's not you I've doubted this whole time; it's me."

Soul kissed her temple, bringing one hand up to her jaw to angle her face where he could see her.

"No. If you could even think for one minute that I'm not into you, or that I could ever get tired of you, then I'm doing something wrong. If you'll let me...I wanna...Maka, will you let me show you what you mean to me? Is it okay?"

He kissed her cheek and moved to nibble her bottom lip.

"Please?" he whispered.

"Yes, I-I think I'd like that. But, Soul? I wouldn't have stopped you, you know. That day. You didn't need to hold back."

"I didn't want the first time to be like that, like I'd just lured you out there to get in your pants or somethin'." he mumbled, leaving her lips to trail kisses down her neck, one arm around her waist while his other hand tangled in her hair to tilt her head.

"I told you, you don't have to make things 'special'; as long as I'm with you, the how and the where don't matter."

Soul stepped back to cup her face in his hands, searching her eyes. Her expression held such love, and all for him. He could tell she meant what she was saying, and that made him all the more determined to make up for ever making her think that he was indifferent to her. He had never been good with words, but he felt like he could begin to show her how much he loved her by his actions. His goal now was to make her feel loved and desired. He had already proven that Maka was the only meister for him; now, he needed to prove that she was the only woman as well.

Dropping his hands down to take hers, he asked, "Are you sure about this? I don't want you to do somethin' you're not ready for."

"I just told you I would've done it that day without a problem," she stated dryly. "I think that makes it pretty clear that I've been ready for a while now."

Soul merely squeezed her hand.

"Fine. I'll remember next time I take you out there that you have no problem gettin' it on in the great outdoors." he teased, taking pleasure in the cute pout she gave. Keeping ahold of one of her hands, he led her down the hall and into his room. Mentally, he reviewed a check list:

Willing Maka? Check.

Birth control? Maka was on the pill. Check.

Experience? Absolutely none, aside from...educational, yeah, that's it, educational, magazines and movies. That would be changing soon, hopefully with follow up sessions.

Tamping down the voice in his head that was screaming, 'Finally!', he saw that she had already removed her tie, and was now standing there unsure of what to do next. Soul may not have any experience, but he knew that her clothes definitely had to come off. Now. Before he did something stupid and transformed his hand to rend them into Spartoi themed confetti. His long, skillful fingers came to her collar and began to undo her buttons as he watched her reaction closely.

Her skin was flushed a becoming pink that extended down to at least her collarbones. He leaned down to get a taste of them, scraping his teeth along the sensitive skin, shuddering when she let out a moan at his action. His attention was so focused on the increasing amount of visible flesh for his eyes and mouth to feast on that he didn't even register that Maka, not content to stand there and be undressed like a doll, had begun working on his shirt as well. Popping open the last button as his mouth continued to travel her neck and shoulders, he had to gulp as she stepped back to shrug out of her shirt, leaving her in her skirt and pale pink lacy bra. Reaching for her again, he noticed that his shirt was flapping open. He raised an eyebrow, to which she shrugged.

"I like to keep the playing field even."

Who was he to argue with that logic? He quickly tossed his shirt to the side, watching her eyes focus on his scar. Opening his mouth to tell her, once again, not to worry about it, he was caught off guard when Maka suddenly leaned forward and placed kisses along the top of his scar, her mouth mimicking what his had been doing to her moments ago. He moaned at the feel of her wet tongue on the sensitive tissue, hands going to clutch at her waist when she bit down with her tiny, blunt teeth. As she continued to lave attention on his wound, he cupped one hand around her breast, fondling it through the thin material, thumb stroking over her rapidly stiffening nipple. Maka arched back, pressing herself further into his hand. Part of him mourned the loss, while the other part took full advantage of her movements. One hand snaked around her to fiddle with the bra's clasp while the other lowered a strap, fingers lightly running over her now bare mound.

Impatiently, she reached back to help him, and with a flick of her fingers and a tug on the cloth, Maka was topless. Soul took a moment to savor the sight, one hand still rolling and pinching her dusky pink nipple between his fingers. Her eyes were half lidded with desire and her breath was coming in soft, panting moans that where doing very little for his self-control. That control slipped further as her hands, which had been braced on his chest, trailed down his abs to run along the waist of his pants, fingertips dipping inside. He bucked his hips against her when she skipped over his belt buckle to drag her fingers along the zipper, cupping the aching bulge in his pants. He thrust harder when she gave an experimental squeeze, retaliating by twisting her nipple sharply.

"Feel how hard I am for you. Do you still think I don't find you sexy?" he demanded, futilely willing his hips to stop moving as she continued to stroke him through the material, while using her other hand to remove his belt and snap open the button.

"Show me." she demanded huskily, in a tone of voice he had never heard her use before but that had him throbbing with want. He obeyed, pushing his pants down to his knees, kicking them off the rest of the way. This wasn't enough for Maka, who yanked his boxers down out of her way, her eyes devouring him hungrily. When she reached out to grip him fully without the impediment of clothes his mind fuzzed out, Soul's hands anchoring themselves at her waist. Dizzy with the feel of her small hand pumping his shaft, he sought to return the favor. One hand slipped from her hip to grope her ass, pulling her closer, the other hand darting under her skirt to caress her core, the wet heat almost burning his skin. She was so unbelievably warm and wet, so responsive to his touch as she ground against his fingers as they fought to see who could work the other into frenzy the fastest. He roughly thumbed her clit through the soaked cloth, her movements becoming jerkier as she rode his hand. Her hold on him tightened, and he grit his teeth to keep from coming right there in her hand.

"Soul! Please!"

The way she sobbed out his name, begging him, was almost his undoing. He pushed the crotch of her panties aside, his fingers parting her folds to tease her entrance.

"Please what, Maka? Tell me what to do." he rumbled. It may have sounded like he was playing with her, but he really wasn't sure what she wanted; he knew what he wanted to do, but he needed her to say it.

"I don't know!" she wailed, hands leaving his dick in favor of sinking her nails into his shoulders. "Anything, just more!"

Soul's eyes darkened at her words, every fantasy he'd ever had about her looping through his mind. He pushed them aside. Right now, he wanted to bring her as much pleasure as possible; he could indulge himself some other time. Removing his hand, he tried not to look smug at her whimper of loss as he guided her onto the bed, giving Maka a moment to calm herself. He brought his palm to rest on her cheek, smiling as she nuzzled into it. He lowered his head to capture her lips in a kiss, starting out soft and sweet but quickly heating to a fever pitch as her tongue struggled for dominance with his. He broke the kiss reluctantly, propping himself over her with one arm as the other hand caressed her side, the skin under his palm satiny smooth.

"Maka, I want you to pay attention." he said, waiting as her hazy green eyes focused on him.

"Why? What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to do my best to make you feel good," he answered, bringing his mouth to hover over her breasts, licking his lips. "And with every touch, with every move I make, I want you to feel how much I love you, how much you mean to me. Alright?"

At her shaky nod, his lips parted to take her tightening bud into his mouth, her hisses of pleasure spurring him on to suck harder. His hands roamed her body, mapping out the spots that got the most reaction. Saving her ticklish spots for future reference, Soul kept up his oral assault on her tits, which consisted of licking and nipping, sucking hard enough to leave little red marks on the pale flesh.

His hand wandered along the expanse of her thigh, ghosting the crease where her leg joined her torso to dip down to its previous location to rub her in gentle circles. As her body started to gyrate wildly, he took the opportunity to sit up and slide her skirt and the lacy pink panties down her legs with one hand, made possible by the fact that her hips kept rising off of the mattress. He used his free hand to hold her thigh as his fingers once again found her entrance, this time not hesitating before pushing one long digit into her. Watching her carefully, he moved his finger in and out a few times before adding another. Her fists dug into the sheets as his movements became bolder, his wrist twisting and turning to find the angles that suited her best. Seeing that Maka was close to coming, he bent down to add his mouth to the mix, sucking lightly at her clit as his to tongue stroked it from side to side. The dual sensation was finally too much, and she came, his name a broken yell on her lips.

As her body spasmed and shook with the force of her release, he removed his fingers from her, licking his fingers. He had hoped to have more time to work on her with his mouth, but he figured there would be plenty of time for that later. She opened her eyes to gaze blearily up at him.

"That...was wonderful." she panted out, slowly regaining her breath. "But don't you need to...do you want me to do that for you?"

His breath hitched at the thought, but he knew he wasn't going to last long as it was.

"No, I'd rather go ahead, if you're ready now, and still sure this is what you want."

In response, Maka stretched her legs out to wrap around his waist, pulling him close. He nearly whimpered at the feel of her wet slit rubbing against him. Taking himself in one hand, he got into position, praying he would be able to do this without too much fumbling. Stroking her with his head, he found the correct spot and began to sink in. Docking, success! Soul pushed until he was seated within her firmly, giving her time to adjust to having him inside her.

She felt so good wrapped around him, so warm and tight, so Maka. MakaMakaMaka. All he wanted to do was lose himself in the feeling, but he didn't want to hurt her. He would hold still forever in this fantastic heat, never moving even if it was slowly killing him but it was worth it if it ensured she was alright and—

"Soul, if you don't start moving, I swear I'm going to flip us over and do it myself." she warned.

Not wanting to give up control just yet he pressed forward, the friction causing tingling sparks to shoot up their spines. Hesitantly at first, Soul picked up speed as the movements became more natural, setting a pace that soon had them both moaning, the heady feeling of release drawing nearer. Her hands gripped his hair tightly, dragging him down into a passionate kiss. Feeling himself slipping, he slowed his movements, raising his face from hers so he could look at Maka.

"You feel fucking amazing," he groaned out. "I love you so damn much, Maka. Can you feel it? Can you?"

His eyes blazed with his love for her, she could feel it washing over her in warm waves. Her arms tightened around his neck as she smiled up at him warmly.

"Yes...I can feel it...I...ah! Love you too...S-Soul!" she managed to pant out.

"Then don't close your eyes." he demanded.

Speeding back up, it took only a few thrusts before she was sent screaming over the edge, the force of her orgasm pulling him along with her. With a final, desperate thrust of his hips he shot himself into her, howling her name, his eyes never leaving hers.

He pulled himself out of her still twitching body to flop bonelessly next to her, barely having the energy to lazily brush her sweat soaked bangs from her forehead. She sighed in contentment, turning onto her side to face him as she affectionately traced his cheek and jaw with her fingertips. Watching a sly smirk form, she covered his lips before he could say anything to ruin the mood.

"Whatever you were thinking, don't say it, unless you want to be sleeping alone anytime soon." she threatened.

"Does that mean you're sleepin' with me from now on?" he asked, eyes brightening.

"Hm. We'll see." she said, nestling down for a much needed nap. His voice stopped her, the serious tone holding her sleepiness at bay.

"I love you, Maka. No matter what happens, I never want you to doubt that, okay?"

She could see how much her answer meant to him, and, remembering the earlier fear in his eyes at the thought of losing her, combined with his tender lovemaking, made her smile softly. She kissed the corner of his mouth.

"No more doubts, Soul. Not when it comes to us."

Soul returned the kiss, hearing the surety of her words. He slid his arm around her to cuddle her close, rubbing slow circles on her back as Maka drifted off to sleep. His earlier smirk returned. He wondered if he would be able to convince her to skip school more easily in the future...


	2. Chapter 2

CONFIDENCE

confidence n. full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing. 2. Belief in oneself and one's powers or abilities; self-confidence; self-reliance; assurance

Confidence. A longer word than trust, but equally hard to cultivate and maintain. It was difficult to strike the correct balance between I'm-fine-with-who-I-am-don't-give-a-fuck-who-disagrees and I'm-a-stuck-up-bitch-who-needs-to-be-slapped. Over the years Maka had gained confidence in herself as a meister. Through much determination and effort, and with the constant support of Soul, she had honed her skills to where she could comfortably tell the bitches who claimed she wasn't good enough to wield Soul to take a flying leap. Now, also with Soul's help, she was becoming confident in herself as a woman. Under his tender care, her insecurities were melting like snow in July. They were about to learn another thing about confidence; it could be damn sexy...

XXXXX

Things were easier between them after that day. Maka was more relaxed, and Soul was more openly affectionate now that he knew he didn't have to restrain himself. They had gone to school the next day all warm and fuzzy and happy, wearing matching goofy grins that made all the single people want to bitch slap them. That good mood dropped like a whore's panties once they got to the classroom and Kid showed them what he had found...

They walked into class, Soul's arm wrapped possessively around Maka's waist, both of them surrounded in that why-yes-we-just-had-a-night-of-spectacular-sex glow that even the most oblivious people could read.

"Whoo! Looks like someone's had some righteous makeup sex! Soul my man, after years of tryin', ya finally got her on her back!" bellowed aforementioned oblivious person.

Instantly two craters appeared in his skull, one from Maka's trusty hardback and the other from Soul's fist. Both were blushing furiously as they kicked their friend to the side, cursing the fact that, after years of Tsubaki's efforts, he still hadn't developed a filter for that mouth of his. They were expecting their other three friends to laugh, but Kid just silently handed Maka a wadded up scrap of paper. Her eyes scrunched in confusion.

"What is this, Kid?"

"After your...excitement yesterday, I came back to the classroom. I found this by Soul's desk." he said, waiting for her reaction as she uncrumpled the paper, bright eyes darting left to right, narrowing in mounting anger as she took in the words. This was the note Soul had sworn he had received, forged in her handwriting so skillfully that most con artists would weep in envy.

"That. Little. BITCH! Where is she? I need to have a little...chat...with her." she growled dangerously, her voice dripping venom from every syllable, her tone implying that it would be a crying shame if that girl's insurance wasn't paid up. Not finding her victim, she started for the door, but was immediately halted by six sets of hands on her. They all knew Maka could be violent, but when she truly lost her temper, shit got real.

"Maka, you can be expelled for fighting; I'm not even sure what the consequences are if you kill a fellow student. Is it really worth it?" Kid tried to reason.

"I'm not going to kill her! At least, not much." she growled, straining against their grip.

"Hey, this ain't how you handle it," berated Black*Star, blocking her way, "You need to let it go and move on."

Maka paused, shocked. When had Black*Star morphed into Dr. Phil?

"Then, if they do it again, you follow them off of school grounds and come down on 'em like a shit ton of bricks!" he finished with a slightly crazed grin.

Seeing him revert to normal, Maka relaxed. He was right. No damage had actually been done. Things between her and Soul were better than ever. She would be mature about this, and let it go. Then, if it happened again, she could test out some of those interesting methods she had learned about in the book she read on the Spanish Inquisition...

"Maka? Hey, snap out of it! Crap, that grin never means anything good." muttered Soul, wondering if there was any way to distract her.

"No, Soul. Kid and Black*Star are right. I'll let it slide this once."

He held her gaze, making sure she was serious before letting her go.

The bell rang, and everyone headed for their seats, Black*Star hanging back to talk to Maka.

"Don't try to fool me. You know she's gonna try somethin' again, dontcha?"

"Why, whatever makes you think that?" she asked with false sweetness.

"Because I know you, girl! Don't worry, you can count on me to help bury whatever's left!"

They shared a small cackle before joining their respective weapons, shoving thoughts of vengeance to the back of their minds as they watched Stein pull out the latest exotic creature for them to push to the brink of extinction.

XXXXX

Although in the beginning Maka kept a close eye out for any signs that the other girl was going to try anything funny, as the weeks passed, she let her guard down. Maybe it really was a one-time thing and she'd gotten the message that Soul wasn't interested. In fact, he had made it so apparent that he couldn't be happier that he was with her, that most of his fangirls had dropped their hostility towards her. Now instead of opposing the relationship, they were actually shipping her and Soul. Which was a tad creepy, but at least it wasn't malicious.

A group had even confronted her in the showers, which she had expected to get nasty but was completely floored when they congratulated her. One girl shyly stated that they had noticed a change in Soul, which caused them to realize that he and Maka belonged together. She felt warmer towards these girls; they were the ones who truly cared about Soul's happiness, and wanted the best for him, even if it wasn't with them. She was even more stunned to learn that the girl who had stalked him during the Book of Eibon fiasco was among their number. Their acceptance wasn't needed, but it was...nice. This way she could focus more on Soul without looking over her shoulder.

And boy, did he make sure she stayed focused on him! As if making up for his perceived indifference, he became more outgoing in his affections. He complimented her more often, not cheap, flowery compliments but things that he genuinely admired about her. Soul also told her he loved her more often, the words coming easier the more he used them. For it was one thing to say it in the heat of passion, quite another to say out of the blue. Several times they had managed to go back to the spot of their first date, where Maka proved that she truly had no problem with doing it outdoors.

A fact that Soul wholeheartedly appreciated. He couldn't seem to get enough of touching her, making love to her whenever he felt he could get away with it, even though he hadn't convinced her to skip school again. She would never tell him just how hard it was to say no to him; if she did, she was afraid she would spend every school day in bed. The thought alone made her knees shake. However brash he could be, Soul was always considerate and gentle in bed. So much so, that Maka could feel he was holding back, but wasn't yet sure how to address the fact that she wouldn't mind if he let go. In fact, she would welcome it. But aside from that, everything was going wonderfully. Their grades were good, missions had gone off without a hitch, and they had even been able to go on a few dates that hadn't ended in disaster. Nothing could be more perfect.

And then Soul disappeared.

XXXXX

It was just over a month since the shower room incident, which had been almost forgotten by the two. They had only a few weeks to go until graduation, and were currently being tested to determine their final ranking. They had been working hard these last several days, and it was beginning to wear them down. One of the final tests consisted of a chain of fights; weapon and meister teams went up against each other, fighting until they lost. Maka was sure that they would finish in the top of their class, however, after a recent surge in power she felt that her control could use some improvement. They had been given three days to prepare, and Maka was determined to spend that time to their best advantage.

Unfortunately, this coincided with one of the biggest basketball games of the season, a rival match of epic proportions that had the guys swooning. Cooly. Godly. Symmetrically. But still swooning. So naturally, Soul wanted to watch the game. Naturally, Maka wanted to use that time to train. Naturally, they calmly, rationally discussed it and came to a levelheaded agreement. Oh wait. No, they didn't.

"I don't see why we can't watch the game! Do you have any idea how long I've been lookin' forward to it?" Soul asked sulkily, slamming the front door as he followed Maka into the apartment.

"It's just a stupid game, Soul! If you've seen one, you've seen them all. We need to focus right now, or have you forgotten that this is for our final grade?" Maka bit out in irritation. The one thing that drove her crazy about Soul was his utter lack of disregard for schoolwork. She strode into the living room, dropping her book bag heavily onto the coffee table with a muffled thump.

"A break won't kill us! We've been goin' nonstop for days. You may be the Energizer Meister, but I'm worn out. All I'm asking for is about three hours to recharge, and I'll be good to go. Whaddya say?"

"No! We only have three days to get this right! Now is not the time for any distractions! And i know you, watching the game won't be enough. You'll somehow manage to get me into bed, and we'll lose even more time!"

"No, I promise, all I wanna do is watch the game!"

"So now you'd rather watch the game than be with me? Thanks a lot!"

"What? No! Why would you-where do you even come up with that?"

She knew she was probably pushing it, but she wanted to come out near the top. Kid and Black*Star would most likely outperform her in this event, but she'd be damned if she didn't make them work for it.  
He slammed his bag down next to hers with more force than necessary, voice rising with his frustration.

"Why do you have to be so damn stubborn?"

"Why do you have to be so damn lazy?"

Eyes narrowing, they advanced on each other, starting a constant barrage of the most creative insults they could come up with without actually crossing the line. Voices rose steadily with each volley, hot breath on skin as they stood practically on one another's toes, the insult slinging reaching a crescendo.

"YOU OVERGROWN PET STORE REJECT BUNNY!"

"...YOU...YOU JUXTAPOSED CUTTLEFISH!"

"...WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?"

"I HAVE NO IDEA, BUT IT SOUNDS GOOD!"

Maka spun away, fists tugging at her hair.

"Arrgh! You're so annoying! You're such a lazy slacker, and your lack of dedication is-" she nearly choked on her words as he spun her around to face him, his nose nearly touching hers.

"Don't go there, Maka. I'm the fucking definition of dedication." he growled. Her eyes softened at his words, her anger diminishing to manageable levels.

"I didn't mean it that way, Soul. Maybe dedication was the wrong word to use."

He blinked, leaning back to run his hand through his bangs. Why were they getting worked up over something so stupid? Oh yeah. Because they both were as stubborn as hell.

"Look, we both need to cool off. I'm goin' out for a while; I'll pick myself up something to eat."

Soul fished his keys out of his pocket on the way to the door, feeling Maka a few steps behind him.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

He turned at the nervousness in her voice, to see her chewing her lower lip in worry. His lips twitched in a small half smile.

"Just for a ride. I'll be back later, I promise."

Not getting a response, he headed out the door.

"Soul!"

He popped his head back in.

"Yeah?

"...Just...be careful." she muttered.

"Of course. You can't get rid off me that easy!"

After the door shut behind him, Maka wandered into the kitchen, deciding to heat up the leftover soup in the fridge for supper. Most people might have lost their appetite after a fight, but she wasn't worried. They were always like that; they had a strong enough relationship that they could fight about something, but both knew that they would cool down and make up. She went about the rest of her evening, doing her homework and trying to figure out a schedule for their training. Her eyes began to droop, and since she was becoming unable to concentrate on the words she decided to turn in early. She headed for Soul's room, where she had begun to sleep permanently, regardless of whatever their time in bed might consist of. She curled up on her side of the bed, making sure to leave plenty of room for Soul when he got back. She must have been more tired than she thought, for she was asleep almost immediately.

XXXXX

Maka's internal alarm woke her at seven. She lay there a moment, pondering her options. She could finish the fight with Soul, or she could try to patch things up. The thought of fighting didn't really appeal to her, especially since he was right. They had been working hard lately, and a measly three hour or so break wasn't going to seriously influence their progress. She hadn't been fair last night; he had been putting in just as much effort as she had. And it's not like he ever asked her for much. He was always following along with whatever she wanted to do, with barely a word of complaint. The least she could do was let him catch one lousy game, right? Right.

Now she just had to find a way to give him what he wanted without making it seem as if he'd won. She grinned. Maybe if he was...pleasantly distracted, he wouldn't notice. Rolling over to commence Operation Makeup Sex, the smile was quickly wiped from her face. Soul wasn't there, and judging by the unrumpled bedding, he hadn't been there all night.

Sitting up in confusion, she tried to figure out what could have happened. The fight hadn't been that bad; they'd had worse. And he hadn't really been mad when he left. She extended her perception throughout the apartment. No Soul. So he hadn't come home and chosen to sleep elsewhere. What could have happened? Her eyes shot open and she rocketed to her feet. What if he'd been in an accident! He was always pretty reckless on the bike, and she knew he was worse when she wasn't with him. Add that to the fact that he had been upset due to their fight...guilt left a sour taste in her mouth, her stomach churning anxiously.

Ok, she needed to handle this calmly. No picturing him on the side of the road somewhere, a tangle of metal and flesh, his once bright eyes staring lifelessly ahead, his lips never to form that endearing smirk...no! She would think positive! He may just be unable to call. Because he was lying in a hospital bed, the life slowly draining from him as he wondered where she was, why he was alone and in pain...NO! She. Would. Not. Go there, dammit! She snatched her cellphone that had been charging on the desk and hit Tsubaki's number. Maybe he had just crashed (not that word!) at Black*Star's for the night. As it rang, she slapped her hand over her face. Why hadn't she tried Soul's number? Oh well. He might not have answered, anyway.

"Hello? Maka-chan?" Tsubaki yawned sleepily.

"Tsubaki, Soul didn't happen to spend the night there, did he?"

"No, he didn't. Is there something wrong?"

"It's probably nothing. I'll check to see if he's at Kid's place. Bye."

"Wait! Did something happen? Did you two have a fight?"

"Not really. Not anything big enough to make him stay out all night...I'm a little worried. Let me check with Kid."

"Ok. Let me know if you need us!"

Maka hung up and promptly dialed Kid's number. Predictably, he waited till the eighth ring to answer.

"Maka. Please tell me that you woke me up before eight for something important." his monotone voice buzzed over the line.

"Kid, is Soul with you? I've already tried Black*Star."

Hearing the controlled panic in her voice, the Shinigami became more alert.

"No, he is not. Is there some reason why he should be?"

Maka fought down her growing sense of dread.

"He didn't come home last night. What if something's happened to him?"

"Maka, calm down. Have you tried his cell? You know he goes out riding outside of town. Maybe he's just broken down or ran out of gas."

"You're right, that's probably what happened. I'll call him right now. If that doesn't work, I'll check the hospital."

"Call me if you can't find him. The girls and I will go out and look if you need us to."

"Thanks Kid. I'll do that."

Once again she hung up, and once again, she dialed. Please let him pick up. Please. She would let him watch every game of basketball for the rest of their lives. She would buy season passes. She would even learn the rules and throw herself into the sport, becoming a rabid basketball fangirl who painted herself in team colors if he would just answer the phone...  
Three rings.  
Eight.

"We're sorry, the number you have reached is out of order. Please hang up and try again."

Her knees gave out, and she collapsed onto the bed. This left her with her final option. The hospital. She wasn't sure if she wanted to find him there or not. Thankful that she had at least memorized the number in case of emergencies, she punched in the numbers, half hoping that Soul would walk through the door and she could hang up. Of course, he didn't.

"Hello, Death City Hospital. How may I help you?"

"This is meister Maka Albarn. I'm checking to see if my weapon partner was brought in last night. His name is Soul Eater Evans."

"Well, normally we can't give out that information, but we do have an agreement with Shinigami-Sama in the cases of meisters and weapons. Please hold while I check."

Maka waited impatiently, her eyes watching the minute hand of the wall clock creep by.

"Hello? Miss Albarn? I'm sorry, but we've admitted no one by that name. However, we do have a few that came in who had no ID. Could you give me a physical description of your partner?"

"Um, he's about 5'9", with white hair and red eyes…"

And the most gorgeous ass and talented fingers on this continent, maybe others as well.

"…He was wearing a Shibusen issued Spartoi uniform when he left. Does that help?"

"Yes, thank you. No, I'm sorry, but we have no one who fits that description. I'm sorry we couldn't be of any more help."

Maka's shoulders slumped.

"That's ok. To be honest, I was hoping he wouldn't be there. Thanks for checking."

She hung up, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. Where could he be? Although, if this was some idea of a joke, she would put him in the hospital herself. But she couldn't see him going that far. He could tease her mercilessly at times, true, but he was never cruel. She checked the time. She needed to hurry if she was going to make it for special classes. She didn't really want to go with Soul missing, but she figured this way she could ask her friends for help and see if anyone else at school had seen him.

Maka went into her room for some clothes, tossing on a pair of black jeans and a red tank top, adding her regular boots. Foregoing her bag since she was going to run to class, she decided that she wouldn't stay for the lesson once she had updated her friends and questioned her classmates. As she sped down the street, narrowly dodging the other early morning pedestrians, she thought with grim humor that Soul had finally gotten her to skip out again.

She made the run in record time, her intensive training paying off as she hadn't even begun to breath hard. She didn't bother entering the school, instead going around back to the training grounds where most people were sure to be gathered. Sure enough, she caught a flash of blue hair that signaled that her friends were already here. Maka trotted through the trees, ignoring other students as her eyes flicked left and right, the subconscious hope that Soul would have showed up quickly dying.

"You still haven't found him, Maka-chan?" Tsubaki's sympathetic voice broke through her concentration.

"No, and I'm starting to freak out a little. He's never stayed gone this long before! Are you guys sure you didn't hear from him at all last night?"

Universal head shaking, then Liz asked, "Did you two have a big fight something? You guys were about due for one."

Maka blinked.

"We have...a fight schedule?"

"Of course! Soul and Maka have a cycle; happy, happy, bitchy fighting, sulk, happy! It's like the seasons, with a bonus one thrown in! Or a menstrual cycle. Whichever you prefeeeer~!" sang Patty.

"That...I...words...I'll think of that later, once I've found Soul. I'm not staying for the lesson. I'm going to ask anyone i can find in the school real quick, then try going around the city and searching for him using my Soul Perception. Call me if you hear anything, okay?"

Black*Star stared at her like she had announced she was in a lesbian relationship with Medusa.

"You. Are skippin' out? Maka Albarn, top bookworm in the Nerdalympics, the original Miss Goody Two Shoes, is ditchin' probably the most important class of her life?"

She looked at him pleadingly, her eyes tearing up in a way that reminded him uncomfortably of when they were four and her dog had been hit by a car.

"But Black*Star...it's Soul."

He gave her a small smile, his arms crossed behind his head.

"Ya know, I always told Soul that you were totally nuts for him. He didn't believe me, but he'll have to now. Well, if you're leavin', then you're gonna need my godly abilities to help find him. I'll check around outside of town to see if he broke down or somethin'. Let's go Tsubaki!"

Tsubaki quickly transformed, and he bounded off before Maka could thank him. That was the thing about Black*Star. He really did have a big heart. It was just usually overshadowed by his big head.

"I suppose that leaves the city to us. I'll take the east side; we can meet at my house at eight tonight to compare results. I'm sure between all of us searching, we will find him." Kid announced, forming Beelzebub for him to hop on and hover in midair.

"Thanks guys. That makes me feel better. I'm going to go ask around I side first, then I'll head out. Bye!"

She watched as the Thompsons transformed so Kid could carry them on his skateboard. They shot into the distance, and Maka turned to head back inside the school. She asked everyone she met on the way if they had seen Soul, but the answer was always no. She checked up and down the nearly deserted halls, moving as quickly as possible. There weren't that many people inside today, so she headed for the front entrance so she could work on her side of town.

"You're looking for Soul?"

Maka spun around at the voice that came from behind her. It seemed to drip a sort of smug satisfaction. Oh. Just what she needed. It was the girl that had tried to suck Soul's face off in the showers.

"Yes, I am. Have you seen him?" she tried to keep her tone civil. Right now the only thing that mattered was finding Soul.

"Oh, I've done more than see him. We kept each other quite...busy last night. In fact, he's so exhausted, he's still sleeping, the poor thing. Would you like me to give him a message?"

Maka took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself down. Her teeth were going to snap of if she continued to grind them together so hard, and although that might add interesting dimensions to her blowjob techniques, she wasn't ready for dentures quite yet. Now all she had to do was get through this encounter without spreading this girl all over the hall.

"I don't believe that. Now, have you seen Soul, or are you just trying to be a bitch?"

The girl gave her a secretive smile.

"Believe what you want. Just don't be surprised when he doesn't come home tonight."

Maka restrained herself from lunging, but just barely.

"I don't have time for this." she growled.

Not waiting to hear any more, she ran out the door and careened down the long set of stairs, her mind churning furiously. She didn't even consider believing what the girl had said. A month ago would have been a different story; doubts and misgivings would have clawed at her mind like a cat on the nice furniture. But now she knew what she had been told was nothing but lies. Soul would never do something like that to her. So, Maka chalked that earlier scene up to jealousy and put it out of her thoughts. Kid said he would take the east side of the city, so that left her with the west. She decided to work in a zigzagging pattern, her Soul Perception tuned to search specifically for Soul's. Running up and down every street, ducking down side roads and alleys, she searched for any flicker that would give her a direction to go in.

Her first pass proving unsuccessful, she worked her way back, this time more slowly. She stopped in shops that Soul visited frequently, like the record store and coffee place. The owner of the record store hadn't seen Soul in nearly three weeks, and Maka felt guilty. He usually stopped by there at least once a week, but she had been pushing them so hard lately that he must not have had the time. If she ever found him, she would make it up by buying him one of those vintage jazz records she knew he had been drooling over. The coffee shop was a bust too, the waitress and the group of elderly men that spent most days playing leisurely games of chess all said that the last time they had seen Soul had been the last time he had brought her there for an after school coffee. She hadn't truly expected any other results, but constantly running into dead ends was increasing her nervousness.

Exhaustion slammed into her, reminding Maka that she had been using her Perception for far longer than she was used to. She slumped against the back wall of the strip mall, fuzzily forming a plan. She would go home and see if there was any sign of Soul, then call Tsubaki and Kid to check in. Kid had mentioned meeting at his place later, but she knew she needed to sleep. The sun was just setting, and it was far earlier than when she was used to going to bed, but it at this point it was either sleep, or pass out. Summoning her waning energy, she lurched in the direction of home, shuffling along like a stereotypical zombie. She barely made it under her own steam, and upon entering she eyed the couch longingly before bypassing it in favor of the kitchen phone. Sluggishly, Maka dialed the numbers, her fingers feeling thick and clumsy.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Tsubaki. I was just calling to see if you had any news about Soul." she enunciated carefully, her voice coming dangerously close the slurring.

"No, we searched several miles in each direction, but there was no sign of him. I'm sorry I don't have better news for you. But Maka-chan, you sound strange. Is there something else wrong?"

Maka could hear the deep concern in her quiet friend's voice.

"Not really. Overused my Perception a little, that's all. I'm going to go to sleep soon, and then I'll be fine. Call me if you hear anything, okay?"

"Of course. Now, get some rest! You won't do Soul any good by running yourself down!"

She hung up, staring blankly at the black plastic phone in her hand. One more call, and then she could sleep.

"Hello?" answered the smooth voice of Liz.

"This is Maka. Let me guess; you guys had no luck either?"

"Nope. We're stumped. Kid was sure we'd find him this way."

"I guess we'll have to try something else. Look, I also called to tell you I won't be able to make it to tonight. I overused my Perception, and I'm beat."

"Yeah, we thought that might happen. Get some sleep; we can meet you at the school tomorrow to decide what to do next."

"Liz, do you think I'm overreacting? I know Soul hasn't been gone that long, but still..."

She was silent a moment.

"Did he say anything before he left last night?"

"He said not to worry, that he'd be back later that night. Honestly, he didn't even seem that mad. He's gone of a lot angrier than that before, but he's never stayed gone this long."

"Then something must have happened. If Soul said he was going to come back, he would have. Add that to the fact that none of us have heard from him, then no, I don't think you're overreacting. Whatever it is, we'll get to the bottom of it tomorrow, even if we have to tear this city apart stone by stone to do it."

"I appreciate that. I'm going to bed now before I pass out right here on the kitchen floor. See you later."

She stumbled to her room, getting undressed to put on her pajamas. Feeling that was to much effort, she lay down after having removed her boots and pants, sleep washing over her before her head made full contact with the pillow.

XXXXX

The next morning, Maka woke feeling refreshed, ready to continue her search. She left on the same shirt as yesterday, then changed her underwear and slid on her black and red plaid skirt. She picked up her boots and headed for the kitchen, where she grabbed a breakfast bar and poured herself a glass of orange juice. She ate quickly, then strapped on her boots and made her way to school. This time she walked instead of ran, conserving her energy. As the stairs came in sight, she wondered what she should do now. She had tried everything she could think of, with no results. If nothing happened today, she didn't know what she would do.

His absence had hit her harder than she thought it would; she missed all of the little quirks she had taken for granted. It was especially hard at night. She had become accustomed to falling asleep to the sound of his breathing, his arm draped of her waist and his face pressed into the back of her neck. She even missed the way he would drink straight from the milk carton and put it back in the fridge with only three drops left. Okay, this was unacceptable. Today was the day she found Soul, and that was that. Her resolve firmly in place, Maka marched up the stairs and into the school, going straight to her classroom to inform her friends that she would be skipping today, too. They weren't there yet, so she paced up and down impatiently.

Suddenly there was a familiar, low rumble. She ran to the window to see if her mind was playing tricks on her. It wasn't. It was Soul's motorcycle zipping through the gates, and she felt a wide grin nearly crack her face in half. She almost turned from the window to run to meet him, but she stopped. The grin melted from her face as she realized that that wasn't Soul on the motorcycle. Her breakfast bar did summersaults in her stomach when Maka realized it was the girl from yesterday. How the hell did she get the bike? There was no way Soul would willingly let someone else drive his baby. Well, Maka wanted a lead, and she got it. She ran downstairs and stood around the corner from the front door, waiting for her prey. There wasn't long to wait, the blond sauntered in like she owned the place, a shifty look on her face.

Maka started to pounce, then hesitated. The girl was acting strangely, like she was hiding something. And where was her weapon? If she remembered correctly, he was a...mace? Whatever he was, he should be with her, and they both should be in the training area. Stealthily, Maka followed her down a hall, ducking into an alcove when the girl stopped to look behind her. It didn't take Scooby Doo to figure out she was up to something. Which was fine with Maka, as she was more than ready to unmask the villain. And then, possibly, go Black*Star postal on their asses. Uh, hand them over to the proper authorities. Yeah. Because Maka always followed the rules.

She raised an eyebrow as the blond ducked into the music room. Maka snuck in behind her, hot on her heels. Silently, she shut the door behind her.

"What are you doing?"

The other girl jumped a foot in the air, letting out a guilty squeak. She spun to face Maka, hands gripping her purple backpack to her chest.

"None of your business! What the hell do you think you're doing, following me around like that!" she huffed indignantly.

Maka advanced on her, her face a carefully blank mask that would have anyone who knew her running for the nearest exit.

"I saw you drive up on Soul's bike. Explain. Now." she spoke in a level voice, giving every appearance of calm. Appearances, as they say, can be deceiving.

XXXXX

Let's shift scenes, shall we? Because there's someone we've been neglecting. That's right, Soul. Because he hadn't fallen through an inter-dimensional portal, nor was he suspended, Han Solo style, in a block of carbonite. In fact, he was just a few feet away, helplessly watching what looked to be shaping up to be an epic cat fight. Soul was in the storage room connected to the music room, sitting on an uncomfortable folding chair. This is where he'd been for the last two days. After the argument with Maka, he had driven off, circling the city aimlessly. He had almost decided to head back, when on a whim, he pulled up to the school. Most people were gone, except for a few of the graduating class who were getting in some last minute practice before the sun went down. He had wandered into the music room, thinking that he might bang out a little music on the piano. Sitting down, he had just flexed his fingers over the keys when he heard someone behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a vaguely familiar blond.

"Somethin' I can help you with?" he asked cautiously.

"I'm more interested in helping you," she batted her eyes flirtatiously, sashaying across the room to lean on the piano. "I've been trying to get a chance to talk to you, but you're always with your meister. Doesn't let you off the leash much, does she?"

Soul stood from the piano bench, ready to leave.

"In case you haven't noticed, she's not just my meister, she's my girlfriend. And she doesn't need a leash to keep me with her. Since I really don't think there's anything you could help me with, I'll be goin' now."

He tried to edge around her, but she had moved to block his path.

"I don't get what you see in that girl! She's all wrong for a guy like you! You and I are much more compatible. Just go one one date with me, and I'll prove it!"

Soul ran his fingers through his hair, his patience fraying.

"I told you, I have a girlfriend. I ain't gonna cheat on her."

Was it possible to sneer and pout at the same time? If not, then she was doing an incredible imitation.

"Fine, then just tell her you want to try something different. To see what your options are before you're stuck with her."

Aaaand the last thread of patience snapped with an almost audible twang.

"Okay, I know you're a blond, so I'll say this slow, and use small words so you can understand. Me happy with Maka. Me no want you. So fuck off. Got it now?"

Normally, Soul wouldn't be quite so insensitive, but he'd had a rough day and this girl wouldn't take no for an answer. He expected her to get mad, or cry, so he was surprised when she nodded her head.

"I was afraid it would come to this. I didn't want to go this far, but it's for your own good. You'll thank me later."

Swiftly, she stepped forward, pulling a small square of paper from her pocket and slamming it into Soul's chest. He tried to step back, but his body wouldn't cooperate.

"What the fuck did you do to me?" he bellowed, panic forming in his gut.

She patted his cheek, pulling Soul by the arm to the supply room.

"Don't worry about it. It's just a little something to make sure you don't go anywhere." she shoved him into the room ahead of her while she took out another piece of paper and stuck it to the door.

"In case you're wondering, that is to keep anyone from noticing this room. It should also block your soul, so no one can track you down that way."

"You're crazy. Batshit crazy." he stated flatly.

"No, just being practical. You wouldn't give me the time to convince you, so I'll have to do it this way. I'd take you home with me, but my weapon would have a fit. I'll be back with food, and I'll try to sneak in a gym mat or something for you to sleep on. The toilet over in the corner works, so you should be able to stay here for a while."

"Maka's going to find me eventually, and you're gonna be in a world of hurt when she does."

"Oh, I think it'll be pretty easy to convince her you've been staying with me." she said nonchalantly.

"Going by her reaction that day in the shower room, she knows it's only a matter of time before you leave her for someone else. I'll say a few things to play on her insecurities, and we'll see how long she looks for you once she thinks you're cheating on her." she explained matter-of-factly.

"Leave Maka alone!"

Soul was desperate. He had managed to convince Maka of his loyalty once, but twice? And with the same rabid fangirl? Fuck.

She leaned forward, fishing his keys out of his jacket pocket.

"Having your motorcycle should lend credibility to my story, don't you think? Don't look at me like that. When this is over, you'll see that I'm right! Just think about it for a while. I'll be back in the morning with breakfast, and I'll work on getting you something to sleep on. I'm afraid you'll have to rough it for tonight, but I really hadn't planned this out. See you in the morning!" and she skipped out the door, the paper with the strange symbols stuck to his chest preventing him from following.

Soul let out a howl of rage and frustration. This was not good. Not good at all. Maka would be a hard sell most of the time when it came to trust, but mix in everything that had happened, then add to that the fact that they had just had a (sort of) fight, and the outlook was grim. He tried passing through the doorway, but each time he was pushed back by some invisible force. He tried to remove what he was guessing to be some sort of spell from his chest, but that didn't work either. Dejectedly, he slumped into the chair, holding his head in his hands. All he could do now was hope that Maka didn't believe little miss Basic Instinct and tried looking for him.

"Damn it, Maka, I just need for you to believe in me a little more..."

The crazy girl had returned the next day with food and a gym mat, and had tried to engage him in conversation. When he just sat in stony silence, she had merely shrugged and babbled on about herself inanely, it what Soul assumed to be an attempt to make him interested in her. He had other things on his mind, namely, escape. He had tried repeatedly to remove the spells attached to him and the door, to no avail. Even using a mop handle to dislodge the one on the door failed to work. So did trying to remove his shirt. The spells also seemed to prevent him from attacking the girl, so threatening her was out. After two days, Soul was reduced to contemplating trying to tunnel his way out with a spoon.

He wouldn't even let himself think about how things were going with Maka. If blondie had her way, he'd be double exed; ex boyfriend, ex weapon. He was just settling in for a good wallow in gloomy self pity, when he heard Maka's voice. Head snapping up, he peered out the door to see Maka and his captor in confrontation. He shivered at the look on her face. The other girl had no clue what she was in for. He should probably pity her, but since he was a far cry from having Stockholm syndrome, he couldn't stop the twinge of malicious glee at the thought of her at the end of Maka's fist.

He watched as the girl scrabbled out a retort.

"What's to explain? I told you yesterday, Soul's with me. Things weren't working out between you two, and he realized I was the better option. He feels bad about hurting you, but he's ready to move on, so just let him go already!"

Maka stepped into her enemy's personal space, matching her step for step as she backpedaled.

"There is no way in hell that Soul would just walk out on me like that…" she said lowly, causing Soul to let out a long sigh of relief. "…even if Soul wanted to end things with me, he never would have done so without telling me first. It's not like we were actually fighting; it was just an argument. We've had bigger blow ups over who gets the first shower after a kishin hunt. You're going to have to come up with a better excuse than that."

"Alright. I was trying to spare your feelings, but have it your way. You don't satisfy him in bed anymore. He needed someone who isn't so..." she stared pointedly at Maka's chest.

"…Lacking. Soul likes a little fun, and frankly, you bore him." she stated bluntly, a triumphant smirk on her lips as she watched Maka's head jerk back.

Soul tensed up. Crap, this was bad. He knew all about Maka's body issues, and right now he was cursing himself for every tiny tits comment he had made in the past. He could practically feel his boyfriend status being ripped from his body. Before despair could totally consume him, Maka threw back her head and laughed. His eyes widened. That certainly hadn't been the reaction he had been expecting!

"Now I know you're lying. From how hard he came the last time, and the way he moaned my name, he is far from being tired of me." Maka purred with one fist on her cocked hip. Soul's jaw was currently playing 'Journey to the Center of the Earth'. Had prim and proper Maka really just said that? Her confidence in herself made him happy. Her faith in him boosted his self-esteem. The combination had him hard as a rock. He shifted in his seat. Now was really not the time to be stroking one off. He leaned forward, intent on watching the scene play out before him.

"It's not only girls who can fake an orgasm, you know. He told me I was better than you could ever imagine being!"

"You're trying way to hard." hissed Maka, pushing her face almost nose to nose with the other girl. It caused the blond to drop her backpack, sending a couple of sandwiches, a bag of chips, and a can of pop spilling out. What caught Maka's attention, however, was the familiar black headband. Her eyes widened, then narrowed, her lips pulling back into a snarl that exposed her teeth. She shot out a hand to grab the girl by the collar of her shirt, slamming her into the wall.

"That's his headband. You have that and the bike, so you know where he is. Tell. Me. NOW."

"Y-yeah? What'll you do if I don't?" she asked with false bravado.

Maka pulled her fist back, and let fly a solid punch that grazed the girl's ear, smashing through the wall. She smiled eerily at the girl's blatant fear.

"The next one connects with your face. If I have to do that, I promise you'll never be pretty again. So, are you ready to tell me where he is?"

This. This was bad. Soul was supposed to be concentrating on figuring out a way to get Maka's attention. He was supposed to remember that he was basically being held prisoner by a nutcase. He wasn't supposed be dealing with the worst hard on he'd ever had just because his meister was so fuckin' hot when she was confident and forceful. Taking care of his problem wasn't even an option since with his luck, Maka would burst in before the turkey was jerked. He stood up, adjusting himself, resisting the urge to unzip his pants. One thing was clear; his first order of business when he got out of here was to get Maka home and under him, screaming his name. His attention was pulled above his belt buckle at the sound of others entering the music room. It was Stein, Kid, and some other guy that he didn't recognize.

"Maka! Step back before you do anything you'll regret!"

She turned her head at the sound of Kid's voice, watching as he entered the room with Stein and a shy looking boy with long black hair. If she wasn't mistaken, he was the mace partner Maka had been thinking about earlier.

"Don't try to stop me, Kid! She knows where Soul is!"

"Well, that explains why your soul felt like it was going haywire. As soon as I felt it, I got Professor Stein and came directly here."

"Yes, Maka, what makes you think this girl knows anything about Soul's disappearance?" Stein drawled, taking a drag from his cigarette.

"His headband is right there, you can see for yourself!" Maka exclaimed impatiently.

The girl saw her chance to get out of this.

"How can you tell? Maybe it's mine. Lots of people wear headbands."

Maka plucked a set of keys from the floor.

"That may be so, but you can't deny the fact that you rode to school on his motorcycle."

"He lent it to me. So what?"

"Quit lying to her." said a quiet voice.

The girl glared at her partner.

"Shut up! What are you even doing here?"

"You've been acting strange for the past two days. I figured something was up, so I came to talk with Stein. When Kid showed up and said you were in some sort of fight, I followed. I know how obsessed you've been about that guy, so if you know what's going on; end it now before you get in any more trouble."

"You people don't understand! With a little more time, I know I could convince him he'd be happier with me! Hot people are supposed to be with hot people together!"

The truth hit Soul and Maka at the same time. This girl was a deranged psychopath in desperate need of locking up. Soul and Maka both made mental notes to press charges when this was over. Maka stepped away from her, her anger level dropping to a low simmer. Stein merely blinked at her behavior. This girl would be staying in the mental ward for the foreseeable future.

"That's...an interesting theory. But now I think it's time you told us what happened to Soul. Unless you prefer to let Maka finish persuading you. I'd also like an explanation on why he couldn't be found with Soul Perception."

The girl pouted for a moment, then stomped her foot.

"Fine. He's right over here." she marched over to the storeroom door, tearing down the spell. "And the reason you couldn't find him is because I used these charms I bought from a witch. They worked really well, too!" she bragged proudly.

They stared at her, eyes wide as her partner face-palmed. "You bought charms. From a witch. Sweet death, I should've partnered up with the guy who always wears the teddy bear suit."

Maka stopped paying attention once she caught sight of Soul. With a wordless cry of joy she threw herself at him, nearly knocking the air out of him.

"Soul! I was so worried! What happened? How did she manage to get you here?"

"I came in to play the piano, and I guess she saw me and followed. She tried to get me to go out with her, and I said no. Next thing I knew, I'm stuck in here with no way out, and no cell reception."

As he was speaking, Maka noticed two things; the first was that his voice was incredibly strained. The second was that wasn't the only thing strained about him. She pulled back, raising an eyebrow.

"I see you missed me." she said playfully. Her mouth went dry when she saw the predatory way he was looking at her. The moisture from her mouth seemed to have traveled to other, lower parts of her body.

"Maka, we need to leave. NOW. Before I do something completely uncool."

Maka shuddered. She had never seen him quite like this. Maybe she should keep him locked up more often.

"Then let's go. I'll stay in front of you to hide your...problem." she tugged him to the door, finding herself jerked back when she tried to drag him through the doorway.

"Soul? What's wrong?"

He blinked, his fuzzy mind slowly processing her words.

"Ah, yeah, I forgot. I can't seem to pass through with this damn thing on my chest."

Maka tried to pull it off, but it was stuck fast.

"Hey! Get over here and take this thing off of him!" she ordered, the girl sulked over, and the white square with black and blood red symbols lifted easily at her touch.

"There. I don't know why you all are making such a fuss. It's not like I'd even tried the love potion yet."

Everyone froze at her words. Soul and Maka were sick with the thought of what could have happened. Kid was desperately trying not to picture the unsymmetrical mayhem that Maka would have created had the plan gone through. Her partner was kicking himself for partnering up with such an airhead. And Stein...Stein was intrigued.

"My, my. Charms and potions. You've been a busy little bee! Now, I'm a bit hazy when it comes to things like ethics, so the rest of you help me out. The witches are considered the enemies of Shibusen, correct?"

Four mute nods.

"And magical items produced by them are considered contraband without an official dispensation?"

More nodding.

"And using these items to hold a person against their will could be considered morally questionable? And that this shows that said person is in dire need of mental help?"

The nods were much more enthusiastic this time.

"Then it's time you and I had a little chat. Don't worry; it'll be painless...maybe. *smirk* *smirk*"

Everyone blanched as they watched Stein's glasses glint maniacally. Whatever sins this girl had committed, she would be more than paying for them.

"Professor Stein? I'm taking Soul home. I want to make sure he gets some rest before we take our test."

Stein grinned pointedly at Soul.

"Hmm. Yes, you should go and...take care of him. I'll postpone your test for two days in light of recent events."

Soul choked in embarrassment, awkwardly hiding behind Maka as Stein drug his new victim off to play with, her weapon trailing in their wake. Maka turned to Kid.

"I guess we'll be going now. Could you tell the others that Soul is alright?"

"Of course. I'm glad to see nothing too serious had happened to you, Soul. I'll be sure to tell the others that they should wait till tomorrow to drop by." he smirked as Maka blushed.

Soul looked him in the eye. "Late tomorrow. See ya, Kid. C'mon Maka."

Kid's chuckle echoed in their ears as they left, Maka trying to match his unusually energetic pace.

"What's the hurry, Soul? You've been acting kind of strange."

"I'll tell you when we get home, just please, hurry."

Maka took pity on him. It couldn't be easy walking around with an erection, and she knew that the ride would probably be worse. She led him to where the bike was parked, handing him the keys. Barely having time to get on before he pulled out, she clung to his waist as he tore down the street. She was confused as to why Soul was this aroused, but was excited, too. She had missed him, and was elated at his return, and planned to show him how much.

XXXXX

They made the ride home in record time, and Maka followed Soul to the door in charged silence. She could feel the pull of his soul, rubbing up against hers. The door had barely shut behind her when he had spun her to him, his mouth crashing down on hers hungrily. She melted into it, pulling away when she remembered what she wanted to ask him.

"Soul, you said you'd tell me what has you all worked up like this."

His eyes were on hers, dark and wild, and she quivered under the sheer intensity. He moaned, his head dropping so he could trail wet kisses down her neck as he lightly thrust against her.

"You've got me more than worked up. The way you were back there was so fuckin' hot. You were so confident and kickass, it was amazingly sexy."

His words flipped a switch in her head.

"So you like it when I'm aggressive?" she grabbed him by his tie, spinning him to slam him into the wall. She grinned up at him.

"Then let's get aggressive."

Using the tie, Maka pulled him in for another searing kiss, his hands running up and down her sides. He felt her hands grip the collar of his shirt, and then there was the tearing sound of cloth as buttons pinged everywhere. Her mouth left his to work its way down Soul's neck and across the hot flesh of his chest, alternately licking and biting, her slim fingers deftly undoing his belt. He sighed with relief when she undid his pants, but it turned into a strangled gasp when she bit down on one of his nipples, her tongue flicking out to sooth the reddened skin. She licked along his abs, feeling his muscles twitch and tense as she lowered his pants and boxers. Resting on her knees, her warm breath washing over his cock as she brought one hand up to give him a firm stroke.

"What do you want, Soul?" she asked seductively, gazing up at him from under her lashes.

Was that a trick question? She was right there! What did she think he wanted? He hesitated to say it; it was true he could be crude, but until now their lovemaking had been nothing but soft and tender.

His hesitation seemed to irritate her.

"If you don't say what you want, you might not get it." the very tip of her tongue peeked out to touch the head, the point of contact sending shockwaves throughout his body.

"Hnngh! MaKA!"

"Say it, Soul." she started to withdraw.

"Damn it Maka! Just suck it!"

What normally would have been spoken as an order came out as a whine, but he was still worried he had gone too far when suddenly she took him into her mouth, his head thunking into the wall as his eyes rolled back. She had gone down on him before, but she had always been shyer about it, whereas now she was sucking him forcefully. His hands fisted themselves into her pigtails of their own accord, his hips giving small, uncontrollable thrusts. Her tongue was doing crazy patterns along his length, her fingers lightly scraping his balls. He looked down to watch, his eyes meeting hers, which sparkled with mischief. She began to hum in the back of her throat, and he lost what little control he had over his hips as he bucked into her. With one last, hard suck he came, his world going white. He slumped to his knees in front of her, his arms draped loosely around her as he panted into her neck, trying to regain his breath. She rubbed soothing circles on the back of his neck and shoulders.

"See what happens when you just say what you want?" she crooned. He floated back down to earth, sucking languidly on her neck.

"So, if I told you that sometimes after a battle, I wanted to fuck you up against the nearest wall, we could do that to?" he asked curiously, eager to explore this newly discovered aspect of his girlfriend.

"Mhmm. Because sometimes, I want you to." she whispered against his ear, nipping the lobe. Fuck. It looked like it was time for The Hard On, part 2. He stood shakily, pulling her up with him, bracing her back against the wall.

"Your turn."

Soul grinned, one bladed hand tearing through tank top and bra while his other hand ripped away skirt and panties. He followed the same path she had set earlier, pausing to nuzzle her breasts a quick hello before scraping his teeth down her stomach, lifting one leg to rest on his shoulder. Wasting no time with his usual teasing, he began to ruthlessly eat her out, her squeals and moans urging him on. She thrust herself against his mouth, his sinful tongue sliding through her folds to dip into her briefly before going back to her clit. He nudged it with the point of one tooth, causing her hand to shoot out and grab a fistful of hair. She pulled him away from her, large eyes pleading.

"Soooul! Please!"

He stood, gripping her thighs to lift her up, both of them groaning as he slipped into her. As Maka settled over him, Soul began to thrust up, his hands gripping her ass tightly as he leaned her shoulders into the wall for leverage. Maka tossed her head back, reveling in his new forcefulness. He was hitting new spots in her at this angle, her walls clenching down on him in response.

"Ah, Maka, so damn goooood." he muttered into the crook of her neck.

"Yeeesss. Harder, Soul! I need you to do it harder!"

He tried to comply, but as nice as this position was, it limited how hard he could thrust. Getting an idea, he lowered her to her feet, smirking when she whimpered as he pulled out of her.

"Why did you stop?"

"You wanted me to go harder, so let's try this. Turn around."

She complied, feeling one of his hands on her hips while the other pressed between her shoulder blades.

"Now, Maka, lean forward and put your hands against the wall."

She did as she was told, curious to see where this was going. Soul pulled back on her hips until the firm globes of her ass were raised at the correct angle. He pushed in and pulled back to the tip, plunging firmly back in. At her gasp, he did it once more, asking with a growl, "Is that hard enough, honey?"

Her mind was nearly numb with the new sensations as he thrust into her far harder than usual. It was good, but she couldn't resist answering teasingly, "Yes, darling, now if you could only work on your speed."

His grip on her hips tightened as he sped up, his actions becoming rougher.

"It's never good enough, is it?" Soul snarled. "You ways have to make more demands."

Maka's body arched, the consistency of her bones beginning to resemble something that would be found in the pudding aisle.

"That's...oh! Because you, oh god right there...always surpass...my demands!"

He redoubled his efforts after her admission, the way her body spasmed around him signaling that her release was close.

"I live to please." he said silkily, one hand reaching foreword to roll a nipple between finger and thumb, the other dropping between her legs to pinch her clit. Soul didn't know which he loved more; the fact that he could pound into her without his usual restraint, or that Maka had practically ordered him to. His vision was beginning to blur, and he knew he was about to come for the second time. Maka beat him to it; her legs giving out, her arms sliding down the wall. His hips snapped one final time before he went spiraling into space, her name a harsh yell on his lips.

Bonelessly, they sank to the floor, their bodies a tangle of sweat soaked limbs. Chests heaving from exertion, they lay there a moment, spent and sated. Maka turned to face him, wearing a goofy grin.

"We are definitely doing it like that more often."

Soul barked out a laugh.

"Should've known you'd like it more intense. Kinda feel stupid for holdin' back all this time."

She rolled to her side, fingers tracing lazily over his scar.

"Why did you? I could feel you holding back, but couldn't figure out why. You know I'm not made of glass."

He took a moment to select his words.

"I know. I just thought...since everything else that we do is kinda hard and rough, that you might like one thing to be gentle."

His thoughtfulness touched her and she craned her head to kiss his shoulder.

"That's sweet. And you're right; sometimes I do need it that way. But that doesn't mean I don't like it like this, too."

He chuckled.

"Great, now not only do I have to figure out if you're in the mood, but now I have to figure out what you're in the mood FOR!"

She pinched a nipple, making him hiss.

"Right now, I'm in the mood for a blanket. This floor is damn cold and I have no I tension of moving."

"Numb from the waist down, eh?" he asked smugly, tilting his head to leer down at her. "Fine, I'll go get one. But then I'm sleeping for the next twelve hours."

She hummed in response, her eyes sliding closed. She felt the air momentarily grow cooler as his body left hers, only to plop back with a thud. Maka cracked open one eye, to find him blinking owlishly at her.

"What's wrong? I thought you were getting the blanket?"

"I...I can't move my legs."

Maka's body shook with laughter, tears streaming down her face.

"Poor Soul! Was I too rough on you?"

He glared at her, before giving up and settling back next to her.

"Just for that, you can get your own blanket." he said huffily.

They both spluttered as a blanket was thrown over their heads. They shifted the material to cover the important bits, eyes darting around to discover who was with them. It turned out to be Blair, wearing little more than an amused expression.

"Blair, when did you get here?" Maka squeaked, making doubly sure Soul was covered from the perverted cat's golden eyes.

"Blair was here first! She was sleeping when you two burst through the door and started to put on a live action porn show. Blair thought about getting some popcorn and watching, but she needed her beauty nap before work, so she went to Maka's room. And now it's time for work, so she's going to miss round two!"

Maka glared.

"What makes you think there's going to be a round two?"

Blair winked.

"Around here, there's always a round two!" she waved goodbye as she trotted to the door, leaving the stunned couple still on the floor.

Soul looked at her thoughtfully.

"You know, as much as that damn cat annoys me, I'd hate to prove her wrong."

Maka rolled her eyes. "Cool it, Soul. I'm definitely not up for a round two."

As he slumped dejectedly, she thought about the last two days. Her fear that something dreadful had happened to Soul, the loneliness she felt at his absence. Maka nudged his arm to get his attention.

"If there's going to be a round two, you need to get me to the couch. My back is killing me."

Soul shot her a tooth baring grin, sliding his arms under her to lift her up. She gave a small shriek, Maka's limbs flailing. He kissed her forehead, waggling his eyebrows.

"I live to please!"

Maka giggled as he placed her on the couch. He really was such an adorable goofball. And, she supposed, this was the least she could do before Maka told him that his basketball team had lost the big game...yes, there would be round two, then she would tell Soul.

And be ready to console him with round three.


End file.
